Pope Francis on AI, June 2024

"An Exciting and Fearsome Tool"

Generative AI is transforming how we teach and learn—offering new opportunities for personalization, efficiency, and creativity. But alongside the promise comes complexity. As Catholic educators, we respond not with fear or uncritical enthusiasm, but with cautious optimism—discerning what is gained, what is lost, and what must be preserved. This site offers AI policy guidance, curated tool recommendations, and professional development resources designed to help Catholic school leaders and educators navigate this evolving landscape with wisdom, clarity, and mission-centered purpose.

AI Policy Templates for Catholic Education

Included at the link below are adaptable policy templates for students, employees, and classroom use. You’ll also find a reflection worksheet to help your institution articulate its stance toward AI in alignment with its mission and values.

Click Here to Access HPL's AI Policy Templates for Catholic Education

Click the images below to learn more and register.

Webinar Highlights

AI Professional Development with HPL

The Higher-Powered Learning team offers onsite and online professional development. These sessions integrate theory and practical strategies, ensuring that educators feel equipped to leverage education software to meet the needs of all students.

PD sessions can be a blend keynote presentations with dynamic workshops. Educators leave with a foundational understanding of how educators can leverage technology and the data it provides to differentiate learning.

Let Notre Dame's HPL team ease the burden of planning professional development. Our team will seamlessly execute PD for you and your staff, with all materials, pre- and post-surveys, and logistical planning included.

Prospective AI Workshop Topics:

GenAI in Education: Fears, Fascinations, and Ethics
Planning Curriculum and Instruction with Generative AI
Student-facing Usage of Generative AI
Generative AI for Personalized Learning
Rethinking Assessment in the AI Era
Formation, Guidelines, and Policy Considerations

“Thank you so much for your diligent work on this effort. I was skeptical at first, but thoroughly enjoyed hearing such expertise mingled with Catholic thought and perspectives. It made me open to the idea that these tools might be able to integrate into a Catholic school without threatening our core mission."

“Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.....you made me feel super excited about the upcoming school year and the opportunities that AI presents to me as a veteran teacher.”

"I have attended multiple workshops on gen AI before, and this is the first to really address student use and policy development in an in depth and meaningful way. I was unsure whether this workshop would be worth the time, but it has exceeded my hopes and expectations."

“Thank you so much! The workshop was a great mix of listening, talking, and trying the tools for ourselves. Both speakers were engaging and responsive. I appreciate how you modeled the skills and tools you were showing us.”

“This PD got me thinking about other issues as well and gave me tools and ideas to address those issues. Thank you for the interaction, atmosphere, and attitude that made me feel capable and more confident about using GenAI.”

Professional Development with HPL Interest Form

General Purpose GenAI Tools

ChatGPT	A versatile AI chatbot designed for conversation, content creation, and problem-solving across various domains. Do not need to sign-up/in to use.
Gemini	A multimodal AI model capable of understanding and generating text, images, and code with deep integration into Google's ecosystem.
Copilot	An AI-powered assistant integrated into Microsoft products, enhancing productivity with real-time suggestions and automation. Do not need to sign-up/in to use.
Perplexity	An AI-driven search engine and chatbot that provides direct, sourced answers with a focus on up-to-date and reliable information. Do not need to sign-up/in to use.
Claude	A safety-focused AI chatbot designed for thoughtful, nuanced, and ethical interactions, emphasizing human-aligned responses.

Teacher-Facing Education-Specific GenAI Tools

MagicSchool	Educators use MagicSchool to help lesson plan, differentiate, write assessments, write IEPs, communicate clearly, and more.
Khanmigo for Teachers	Free AI powered tools designed to save you time and improve instruction.
Schoolai	Easily tailor lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes, and more, automatically aligned to existing standards.
Magisterium AI	Magisterium AI serves as your intelligent gateway to an unparalleled digital library, instantly accessible 24/7. Explore over 26,021 curated documents.
Diffit	Instant learning resources for all.
Canva Image Generator	Watch your words and phrases transform into beautiful images with the best AI image generators available at your fingertips.
Trek AI	TrekAI is a powerful, dual-purpose platform that uniquely combines a Catholic worldview with Generative AI capabilities in a K-12 education context. TrekAI is designed to not only streamline administrative tasks for educators but also provide students with a safe and supportive platform to interact with Generative AI.
Notebook LM	NotebookLM is an AI-powered collaborator that helps you do your best thinking. After uploading your documents, NotebookLM becomes an instant expert in those sources so you can read, take notes, and collaborate with it to refine and organize your ideas.

Student-Facing Education-Specific GenAI Tools

MagicSchool for Students (MagicStudent)	MagicSchool for Students is an AI platform designed to build AI literacy for students. It not only teaches students to use AI responsibly, it also unlocks learning opportunities not possible without generative AI.
SchoolAI Student Rooms	Learn faster, get help instantly, and enjoy interactive lessons.
Khanmigo Learners	Khanmigo is your always-available tutor on just about every topic. Now just $4/month.*
Flexi 2.0 from CK12	Your Math and Science tutor that is always there for you, and it’s absolutely FREE. Do not need to sign-up/in to use.
Curipod	Lessons and Activities Powered by AI Feedback
Class Companion	Give students AI tutoring and instant feedback on assignments. Multiply your capacity as a teacher. Unlock the power of unlimited retakes. Watch engagement and outcomes soar.

Church Documents on AI

The Vatican has released two guiding documents to help Catholics thoughtfully engage with artificial intelligence—offering ethical insights and moral principles with clear implications for educators and Catholic schools.

AI Literacy and Policy Resources

HPL Resources

Higher Powered Learning's Mission: Personalizing Education, Empowering Teachers

Higher-Powered Learning is an initiative of the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education. We empower Catholic school teachers and leaders to leverage technology and related innovative research-based educational practices to meet the needs of all learners. Through research, communication, and collaboration we aspire to be a trusted voice of support as we seek to innovate, strengthen, and transform Catholic schools.

Learn more about Higher-Powered Learning though our Website.

We Invite You to Join Us!

The Higher-Powered Learning Team

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the program or our website, please contact our team at hpl@nd.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!

Since 2015, Higher-Powered Learning has empowered Catholic school teachers and leaders to leverage technology and related innovative research-based educational practices to meet the needs of all learners.

AI in Catholic Education